


From Eden

by joonohon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Artist AU, Artist!Levi, Eventual Smut, Excessive sighing, King!Erwin, M/M, mature for now, medieval times, muse!eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-10 18:17:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joonohon/pseuds/joonohon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the island kingdom of Shiganshina, there is conflict. There is war. There is corruption. But above all, there is art.<br/>All over, markets sell young people. Not as prostitutes. Not as slaves. But as muses for the island's thriving population of artists. </p><p>   Levi has been painting for the king for as long as he can remember. But there's always been something missing. He needs to find inspiration once more.<br/>And Eren is just what he is looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Empty Canvas

"Get out."  
"But sir, I-"  
"Get out!"

Levi threw his brush at the woman in front of him, bright red paint splattering all over her shoulders and breasts. She jumped, bringing the blanket around her waist to cover herself. She whimpered softly, face splotchy pink in embarrassment, and scurried out of the room, the ornate white doors closing with a reverberating boom behind her.

Levi sighed. That was the third time this week. He rubbed his temples in a meager attempt to soothe the throbbing of blood in his head. He shook his head and motioned towards the bed, and the butler standing at the back wall immediately rushed over, picking up the discarded brush and taking the bed sheets to be washed. 

The canvas in front of Levi bothered him. Nothing was right. The color was off, the face too angular, the breasts too small, the shoulders too wide... He swiped his arm in front of him, sending the canvas flying to his left. Paint plipped softly into the floor from where it landed against the wall. Levi's legs swung, the balls of his feet dragging on the floor.

He looked out the window. The clouds rolling across the sky were grey. 

Levi sighed.

\------------

"Levi. You can't keep doing this."

The king waited for the artists reply. When he only got a blank stare, he huffed and leaned back in his throne, hands coming to rest on the arms of the chair.

"Levi, do I need to remind you how this works?"

Levi snapped. "I don't know, do I need to remind you that none of your damn concubines are working for me, regardless of how many you send my way?"

Erwin's brow shot up. However, Levi wasn't done. "I understand that muse trade is an incredibly important part of our society, but not every artist can find inspiration everywhere. No matter what body type, hair style, skin color, eye color, sex, or ethnicity they have, I keep trying to tell you, none. Of. Them. Work. It was fine at first. But it's lost all of its glamour; the idea of painting scantily clad prostitures or death scenes for the war. But that's done. You can't force inspiration onto me." Levi crossed his arms, content with his argument.

"Well. I can't and won't provide you with anything else. If you want inspiration, go find it yourself. You have until tomorrow." Erwin beckoned his handmaiden, taking a scroll from her, effectively ignoring Levi, who was now gaping like a fish out of water. The king looked up, waving his hand softly. "You are dismissed."

Levi gaped for a second more, huffing and pushing his chest out. He turned swiftly on his heel and stormed out, ignoring the looks of horror from all of Erwin's servants. Fuck Erwin. He would find himself a worthy muse today. Levi opened the doors to his chambers. "Petra! We're leaving."

"Yes sir!", came the squeaked reply, the escort coming quickly to his side, ratty clothing in her hands. She quickly helped him change and grabbed his brown woven cape, dealing it across his shoulders and tying it for him, her hands smoothing his shirt out. "If you don't mind me asking, where are we going, sir?"

Levi gave her a small smirk. "Looking for a way to keep my job."

\---------------

Levi didn't think that looking for a decent muse would be that hard. But four hours and eleven villages later, he was seriously reevaluating the situation. 

Nothing.

Nothing.

None of the muses seemed... Right. 

Petra suggested that they go to one last village before heading back to the castle. Levi reluctantly agreed, not really seeing any point in doing so, but not wanting to distress Petra.

The pair rode towards Trost on horseback, the animals drawing attention to them in the relatively poor environment. Levi dismounted and gave his reigns to Petra, his cape swishing behind him.

"Stay here, I'm going to go look at the muses."

"Yes sir!"

Levi strode towards the largest of the cabins in the center of the plaza. He pushed open the door, scanning the inside of the cabin. The muses were sitting cross-legged on the floor in rows. Gross. They all looked to be about 15, with some exceptions here and there. Veterans. All of their heads snapped up at the sound of him entering. They all looked mildly terrified. And aesthetically pleasing.

"Hello there, sir! Go ahead and have a look, we pride ourselves in the muse trade; we ways have the best." The dark man at the front desk smiled at him, his many gold earrings and necklaces jangling and he gestured to the people on the floor. Levi waved dismissively in reply. 

A thought came to him. "Is it ok if they all stand row by row?", Levi asked. 

"But of course! Well, you heard the man! Stand up!"

The muses got up immediately, the sound of metal clinking and clanking all around. It was only then that Levi noticed the chains around their feet. Not everywhere was this controlling, but some people felt the need for such extents in the storage of their muses. 

None of them wore any clothing, and they were all spaced out, giving Levi enough room to walk around and between them. He started from the back, working his way towards the front door. Most were very skinny, almost to the point of malnourishment. But, they all ranged in skin and hair tone, as well as the shapes of their faces and ethnicity, as far as he could tell. Freckles, two-toned, asian, angular, extremely tall, extremely short, feminine, stocky. A nice variety.

Nothing.

He sighed softly. Another waste of time. Right as he was about to walk out the door, three muses came in through a side room with baskets of food; a blonde boy, a red haired girl, who seemed just about ready to run with the basket, and a brunette boy. Levi paused, one of them catching his attention.

The boy's shoulders were broad, like his hips, whose bones were pronounced, but not obnoxiously so. He has incredible muscles in his back, so Levi could only imagine his front. He didn't have to imagine for long, though. The boy turned.

Levi saw lush green meadows showered in dew and afternoon sunlight. He saw the ocean; it's depths deadly, but it's tide pools friendly. He saw the sky, light filtering to the ground from underneath a pear tree.

He saw the boys eyes. Levi gasped softly. Blinking rapidly for a few seconds, Levi sniffed. He cleared his throat and raised his arm, pointing at the boy.

"I want that one."


	2. Looking Out the Window

The boy's eyes widened and he dropped the basket, its contents spilling all over. The muses jumped, startled at the noise. They immediately started grabbing the fallen objects and putting them back in the basket. The boy continued staring. Levi raised an eyebrow.

"I want that one.", he repeated, his arm still pointing at the boy. 

"No.", came the faint whisper, the boys face paling in dread. "No."

The dark man at the front whistled in astonishment. "Well, don't you have an eye for the saucy ones! Go ahead, bring him up! I'll make a price for you."

A blood-curdling scream erupted. Levi, the muses, and the man in front all cowered, covering their ears. The boy was hollering, his face pink and scrunched up. A blonde boy and an Asian girl both ran up to him, shackles clanking, and pulled him to the floor, where they held his limbs down as he flailed. 

Levi's face twisted in confusion. Who the fuck did this kid think he was? He marched over to the trio, ignoring the popping in his eardrums. He pushed the other two aside, and grabbed the boy, who thrashed even more. Levi wrestled him until they were planted in front of the door, a tangle of chains and limbs. He grunted, the boys arms in his grip as Levi straddled his back. 

"I'll take this one."

The man raised his eyebrows, holding his hand out for the money. 

"On my belt.", Levi replied, dipping his head to his right. The man came around and knelt to the floor, lifting one side of Levi's cloak and getting the large pouch. He emptied the coins onto the desk, his eyes bulging at the sheer amount. He gaped, staring at Levi in awe.

Levi smirked, still panting slightly. "Here on royal business." He was about to lift himself up and pull the boy with him, when he realized the kid would probably try to make a run for it. He seemed relaxed now, but Levi wasn't taking any chances. He whistled, the door swinging open with Petra right behind it. Gunther and Erd, the guards who had been following them the entire trip, brought in two ropes, quickly tying the boy's hands behind his back and his legs together, leaving him writhing like a worm when Levi stood up. He snorted, the muse shifting to glare daggers at him. 

Levi nodded to the shop owner, looking back at the boy's friends. The girl was sobbing angrily, her face contorted in rage. The blonde boy hung onto her arm, whimpering softly. Levi turned away and walked out the door, Petra at his side while Gunther and Erd pulled the struggling boy along. 

When they came within range of the horses, the boy yelped, eyes wide in fear and his body shaking with a renewed vigor. He thrashed, his entire frame trembling. Levi quickly jogged over and grabbed the boy's chin, pulling it to face him. 

"Oi! Look here."

The boy looked into Levi's eyes. Good. At least he knew how to follow directions. "It's alright. You're fine now. She's not gonna hurt you.", Levi said in a soft tone. The others' eyes widened, and a soft blush dusted his cheeks. Interesting. Levi let go of his face and gestured towards the horse, where Gunther and Erd gently placed him, tying his hand to the reins and his legs to the horse's midsection.

Levi mounted his own horse, along with Petra and the guards, who tied the last one to theirs so it wouldn't run off with the muse. Seeing them fit to head off, he clicked his tongue, and they began the journey to the castle.

 

~~~~

 

If the boy was afraid if horses, then he was most definitely afraid of the stables.

Luckily, he didn't stay there long, because while Petra and the others groomed and fed them, Levi and the boy headed for Erwin.

Or as everyone should say, "His Majesty."

He was in silent awe of everything, all the paintings and suits of armor and curtains drawing his attention, his eyes sparkling in amazement.

Oh, Levi could see the filled canvas and smell the paint now.

The boy didn't seem to have a problem with people in positions of significant power, however, if the way he was glaring at Erwin was any indication. He didn't seem to care that the man had knights on either side and a crown on his head.

When Erwin touched him, he recoiled as if burned, the guards gasping and exclaiming in disgust as the boy disrespected the king by rejecting him. 

Erwin, however, simply chuckled and gave him a reassuring smile, looking to Levi. "He's quite expressive, isn't he? You picked a nice one, Levi." 

Levi hummed softly. "What can I say? He caught my eye." Heh. That would teach Erwin to bitch at him.

"Perfect." The king gave Levi a mischievous smirk. Uh oh. "Now, if you could go and paint me something, that would be lovely." 

Levi blanched. "Already? He just got here, Erwin. I have to feed him, bathe him, get him comfortable, and-" Erwin cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Levi. Come now. Did you seriously think you could bring in any muse off the market and not prove him worthy?" One of Erwin's eyebrows arched. "You can do it. Prove to me that he's the one you've been searching for."

The shorter man glared. This was SO unfair. But if Erwin wanted to play, he could play. And he would win, damn it all. 

With that thought, Levi let out a humph, glaring at Erwin until he fully turned and began to walk away from him. He stopped a few paces after, looking over his shoulder go see the boy standing next to the king, confusion obvious in his expression.

"Oi, kid! Follow me." The boy quickly scrambled towards Levi, his shackles clanking loudly in the wide throne room. Levi continued walking, leading the boy to his chambers. Erd and Gunther were stationed at the doors, pushing them open immediately when they saw Levi heading their way. When they stepped inside, the boy stopped, his jaw dropping in disbelief. Levi snickered softly, hiding his smirk behind his hand. The boy was looking at the huge bed in the center of the room, with a complete cherry wood canopy that had sheer silver curtains hanging from them. They billowed softly as the wind flowed from the window, which was always kept open during the daytime. (as per Levi's request, naturally). 

The stone floor clacked as Levi led the boy towards the side of the room, where a smaller, less extravagant bed was. Petra, who had been there waiting for them, quickly stopped the boy from sitting on the bed, horror on her face.

"Do you want a death sentence? We need to clean you up before you even go near anything of Sir Levi's!" The boy looked confused, looking towards Levi. Levi, however, was paying attention to Petra.

"Petra, make sure he's bathed with the lemongrass and lavender blend, please. I need the room smelling fresh." She nodded, grabbing the boy's arm and dragging him to bath in the next room. When the door slammed closed, Levi let out a sigh. He stripped himself of his cloak and boots, leaving him in only his tunic and pants. He rolled his neck and shoulders. They popped loudly, satisfying him. He then moved towards the left of the room, where his empty canvases were. He picked a relatively small one and propped it onto his easel, organizing his materials as he sat on his stool. 

The wind was making the curtains flow, the fabric shining silver. He breathed in the smell of the outside.

Time to get started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaah I tried writing it as fast as I could!!!! Sadly, school, exams, and softball got in the way. Thank you for your patience, and Thank you also for your wonderful feedback! It means a lot to me <3
> 
> Please comment on what you would like to know more about/ideas you have!
> 
> Thanks again! I'm going to try and update faster next time; gotta keep you peeps interested! ;) You gotta stay for the smut, at least, eheh!

**Author's Note:**

> Whew that was fun.
> 
> Feedback? More chapters?  
> Let me know what you guys think!
> 
> Would you guys like me to explain the society more in the authors notes next time? Let me know!
> 
> You can always message me on tumblr, too:  
> Botan-ee.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks! <3


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